Jackson Free Press

Each and every year for Mother's Day my mother and I go to church together, and afterward we go to a spa and get our nails and feet done. That evening, I take my younger siblings out so she can have the night to herself, relaxing and doing whatever it is that she wants to do. I'm not the only Jacksonian (by way of Chicago) who has a Mother's Day tradition. Here's how others celebrate:

"The best Mother's Day I have ever had was when Mama Jacqueline and I attended the Cannes Film Festival. Mama J came with me for a buyer's screening of "Belles & Whistles." We had a tiny crowd in a tent, and she was the film's biggest fan. We tore up that red carpet, mingled with the French Riviera crowd, and ate all sorts of French delicacies and made new friends. It was a Mother's Day of a lifetime.
––Anita Modak-Truran, attorney, filmmaker, JFP freelance writer

"I just try to make my mom feel special. I try to let her do whatever she wants. Telling her to relax and do nothing is a waste of time, so I just try to add a little spark in her regular day."
––Jennifer Nichols, JSU student

"Every morning on Mother's Day, my younger sisters and I wake up really early and cook my mom breakfast, something simple like pancakes. And we get her flowers and a huge card."
––Asia Clay, JSU student

"My mother, never really being the fussy type, doesn't expect all the bells and whistles that other mothers might need. All my mother ever wants for Mother's Day is to eat a nice, juicy steak cooked on a grill, in a clean house, without her four dogs staring at her while she eats. That, and maybe some home-cooked sweets she can take to work and hand out, all while bragging how much her kids love their Momma."
––Amanda Kittrell, JFP freelance writer

"I collect to buy that special gift for her on that day. I make a healthy breakfast for her as she gets up and give her a wish book that has 12 cards for every month. She can give them to me whenever she wants, (and) I will fulfill a wish for her. In the Indian culture, we believe that if God has given you a chance to be happy, don't restrain it to yourself. So we hold a camp where we give free food, water, clothes to the needy one. At the end of the day I pray for my mother's wellness.
––Sahil Grewal, JFP freelance writer

"My mother and I are very close, so each year on Mother's Day we go take professional pictures. We started this when I was 13, so this year I am going to make a collage/scrapbook for her using all the pictures we've taken together."
––Spartel Sheard, JSU student